The Moto Z and MotoMods are official, takes on the LG G5 and Friends

At the Lenovo Tech World 2016, Motorola has officially announced two new flagship smartphones called the Moto Z, and the Moto Z Force. Motorola claims that the Moto Z is “the world’s thinnest premium smartphone”.

The Motorola Moto Z holds a thickness of just 5.19mm, and is made out of “aircraft-grade aluminum and stainless steel”. The device holds a large 5.5-inch AMOLED display with QHD resolution, and rocks a Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB RAM, and a 32GB inbuilt storage. The smartphone houses a 13MP camera on the rear, with the support of laser AF, OIS, and a powerful dual-tone flash. The front selfie snapper holds a 5MP image sensor with a wide-angle lens.

The smartphone also uses a 2600 mAh battery, with turbo charging that offers 8 hours when charged in just 15 minutes. The device is said to sport a water-repellant coating. There is also a fingerprint scanner on the front, similar to the one on the Moto G4. The device runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out of the box.

The Moto Z Force, on the other hand is a bit thicker to house the bigger 3500 mAh battery. The device holds a shatterproof display on the front. There is a bigger 21MP camera on the rear, and backed by a F1.8 aperture lens, with phase AF, laser AF, and OIS support. Interestingly, neither the smartphones possess a 3.5mm jack, instead Lenovo has bundled the devices with a USB Type-C to 3.5mm jack adapter.

The main selling point of the Moto Z is the new easy-to-snap modular feature called the MotoMods. Using the pins seen below the Moto Z, and with the power of magnets, simply snap these mods behind the smartphone to use the extra feature. There is no requirement to take out the battery and turn off the smartphone as seen on the LG G5 and Friends. Lenovo calls these pins as the 16 magical dots.

For now, Motorola showcased three different MotoMods, and is encouraging developers to create more designs and ideas to expand the capabilities of the smartphone. One is called the JBL SoundBoost, which by the name indicates that users will experience better and louder music and audio on the go. The mod features two 3W speakers, and houses its own 1000 mAh battery. Simply snap the mod, and the music will start playing.

The second mod is called the Incipio Offgrid power pack, which basically snaps a second battery on the back of the Moto Z/Z Force. The capacity of the mod is 2200 mAh, and supports Qi and PMA wireless charging.

The third mod is called the InstaShare, a Pico-projector mod with a built-in stand. The InstaShare can project out the visuals of the Moto Z into a 70-inch screen, but in 854 x 480 resolution. Additionally, the InstaShare also features a 1100 mAh battery of its own.

The local availability and pricing of the Moto Z, the Moto Z Force, and the MotoMods are yet to be known.